Degree/Year: Global Studies in Arts and Humanities & Interdisciplinary Studies, 2013
Employer name: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Position/Title: Osteopathic Medical Student Year 3
City/State: East Lansing, Michigan

I’m currently a third-year medical student. I currently see patients, performing physical exams and working with residents and attending physicians in creating a list of potential diagnoses, determining needed tests and developing a treatment plan. I also am responsible for working with nursing staff and patient families and maintaining accurate communication between them and various other hospital staff involved in patient care.

A degree in the College of Arts & Letters can give you perspectives another degree might not.

There are three interlinked parts to medicine: the science, the art and the patient perspective. My degrees specifically helped me navigate the patient perspective by increasing my awareness of the various items that surround an individual’s perception of health and treatment. That awareness has increased my ability to communicate with patients, finding creative solutions that work within patient lifestyles/cultures, and achieving common goals.

Take time to discover your interests and look outside the box. Look at the skills you develop in any of these majors and find uses for them that are off the beaten path. A degree in the College of Arts & Letters can give you perspectives another degree might not. Take every opportunity to cultivate new skills and challenge yourself.